The Right Thing
by ReaOfSunshine
Summary: SPOILERS FOR THE S1 FINALE! Oneshot. Post-finale. Korra thinks about all that has to be done after the battle and comes to a realization about her relationship with Mako. Mako/Korra, but not overly fluffy. My first fanfic for LoK, so reviews are welcome.


**A/N: Hi guys! The finale was so amazing I just couldn't not write about it. I adore Korra and Mako together but I feel like things are extremely complicated right now with bending and hope to restore and Republic City to rebuild and I think it would be better if they waited to sort everything else out first (unpopular opinion, I know) and give Asami time to recover from all her losses. So this is what I came up with. I hope you enjoy it. Please review; this is my second fanfic ever and my first for LoK!**

**The Right Thing**

Korra sat alone on the cliff where she had finally met Aang and tried to sort out her jumbled feelings. She had succeeded, but she had failed, and she didn't know what to think.

Republic City was saved. The revolution of Amon's true identity and abilities disbanded the Equalists. The Avatar learned airbending and finally connected with her spiritual side, thanks to Aang. The airbenders were rescued and all preserved their endangered powers. Benders who had lost all hope can now regain it with the restoration of their bending. Aang's statue was restored. Mako loved her. He loved _her_, and not because she's the Avatar, but because she's Korra and she's fiery and passionate and brash and somehow also soft and selfless and caring. And she loves him.

And yet…

Noatok got away. A lot of Republic City was damaged and will need extensive repair. The loss of human lives on both sides was devastating—the Equalists weren't bad, just misinformed and misled and working for a cause they thought was just. They didn't deserve to die. Neither did Iroh's soldiers or the innocent families that were surely caught in the middle of the bombs in the city. Asami's family and life were completely ripped apart—she had already lost her mother, and now she lost her father in one of the worst possible ways a father can be lost. The airbabies now knew what it was like to be kidnapped and see their father as helpless as they were—that's something no one should have to experience, and certainly not at that age. Korra saw Mako as he was in pain and was helpless to stop it as they were both being bloodbended.

So much good, yet so much bad. Korra was happy that the Amon and Equalist threat was ended (for a while, anyway) but devastated that she had allowed such harm to come to the city and to those whom she was taxed with protecting. It would take a long time to repair the physical damage to Republic City and even longer to purge the fear from its citizens' hearts. And would anyone even trust the Avatar anymore? Her friends and family certainly would, but the rest of the city and the rest of the world? Did they think she succeeded? Did they think that she could do a good job at keeping the peace?

And what about the nonbenders? There were no Equalists, now—at least not under Amon's guidance—but just because their leader happened to be a fake doesn't mean they would give up their cause. Surely they still want equality. Will they be mad that Korra can now restore peoples' bending? Will they rise up against the benders yet again? Or are they happy that the Avatar exposed Amon and drove him out of the city for good? How can the benders make them understand that they mean them no harm? And how can they explain how much their bending means to them? That it's not just an ability, it's part of their identity?

So many questions. So many duties. Korra had known that being the Avatar wouldn't be easy, but it was still a shock. Being stuck in a training facility for years and years hadn't done much to prepare her for the duty part of being the Avatar—just for the bending part. And now she had an entire world to protect and keep balanced and if she failed, the world would fail with her.

And Mako. Korra loved him, she knew she did. It had been fast, but it also felt like it had been a lifetime since they met a couple months ago. She had fallen for him early on, but her feelings only grew as they spent time together—pro -bending practice, fighting crime and then at Air Temple Island when he had moved there with Bolin and Asami. It had hurt to see him with Asami but Korra was glad they were both so happy even if it was painful (and sickening) to watch them be so flirty with each other. But now the roles were reversed—she had Mako and Asami was left to watch. Korra was so glad that her feelings for Mako were now reciprocated but she felt terrible for Asami. Should she tell Mako to back off and give Asami some time to recover? Probably. He shouldn't get into a relationship again so soon. Plus, it's possible Mako was caught up in the moment—he could have been so focused on making Korra feel better that he said things he didn't mean. But if he was working that hard to make her feel better, wouldn't that mean he cared? Boys were so confusing. It would be better for her and Mako to give it time before they started a relationship so they could really figure out their feelings for sure and give Asami time to recover. But it would be so hard…

Korra pulled her knees to her chest. She had tried to be selfless her whole life. She gave up her childhood to train as the Avatar. She gave up more time with her friends to train her airbending and work with Tarrlok's task force. Couldn't she give in this once and keep Mako to herself?

Korra sighed and got up. No, she couldn't. She had duties as the Avatar and she also had duties as Asami's friend. She couldn't ignore either of them. She had to tell Mako that they had to hold off on their relationship, to help Asami and to make sure it was what they both wanted—that they hadn't been caught in the heat of the moment, saying things they weren't sure they meant.

She headed back to the house to find Mako, but she ran into him on the way.

"Mako! I—"

He gathered her in his arms. "Is everything alright? Are you okay?"

Korra sighed, leaning into his embrace. "I'm fine, Mako. But… we need to talk."

Mako pulled away with a wary look on his face. "That doesn't sound good."

Korra looked away from him. "I'm sorry, Mako. But I don't think now is the time to start… this."

"But… I thought you loved me," Mako said. He looked confused and hurt and it broke Korra's heart, but she knew this was the right thing to do.

"I do love you. I do. But now isn't the time. Don't you see? You just ended things with Asami. It's not fair to her to start a relationship with someone else right after a breakup."

"This is all because of Asami?"

"No, although that is a part of it. You're a good person, Mako. You know it wouldn't be fair to her. I know this is what we want, but what we want doesn't override what everybody else wants. We need to give Asami time. And ourselves, too—everything between us has happened so fast. You were saying things to try and make me feel better and—"

Mako looked horrified. "Stop. I understand we need to give Asami time, but do you really doubt that I love you?" He took her face in his hands. "Korra, you make me feel things I've never felt before. I've never been this passionate about… about anything!"

Korra sighed. She wanted so badly to believe him. "I know you think you're telling the truth. But I want to make sure, okay? I want to do this the right way. Plus, I have so much other stuff to do—Amon's threat is ended, but I'm sure a lot of nonbenders still dislike the power that benders have. They could get upset that I can give people their bending back. And so much of Republic City is in ruins… so many innocent people are dead… I have other duties to fulfill, too. I am the Avatar, after all."

Mako half-smiled at her. "That you are. I know you'll do a great job—you'll see Republic City restored and the unrest settled in no time. You're incredible." He kissed her on the cheek. "I'll be waiting for you, Avatar Korra." He brushed her face with his hand one last time, her dark skin smooth under his pale fingers, and walked away.

Korra stared after him, touching her face where Mako had caressed it. This was the right thing to do, but it wasn't going to be easy. She had a lot of work to do.


End file.
